Research Focus Energy

We research ...

… on pioneering technologies for a climate-friendly, reliable, economical energy supply.

… on innovative concepts for the use of residual materials towards a closed-loop circular economy.

… on resource-friendly, sustainable processes to replace fossil input materials.

… on increasing the efficiency of energy transition processes.

… on methods for saving energy in buildings, process plants and infrastructure systems.

Process chain from biomass to biofuel
Process chain from biomass to biofuel
  • We convert biomass into recyclable materials and thus contribute to greater climate neutrality and resource conservation.
  • From biogenic residue to valuable chemicals: How to close the carbon cycle.

The aim of the CLARA Horizon 2020 project is to develop a concept for the production of biofuels through “chemical looping gasification” of biogenic residues. Through cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary collaboration, the CLARA consortium, which consists of thirteen international members led by TU Darmstadt, is investigating the entire process chain from biomass to fuel-synthesis. This will lay the foundation for the novel gasification process Chemical Looping Gasification towards market maturity. It combines advantages of using locally available biogenic residues and economies of scale through decentralized feedstock pretreatment plants and a centralized fuel production plant on an industrial scale (100 – 300 MW thermal power). A schematic overview of the industrial plant is shown in the figure. After a detailed investigation of the individual process steps by the project partners, the TU Darmstadt will demonstrate the entire process chain from gasification of pelletized biomass to synthesis of base chemicals (see figure above) in the 1 MW Modular Pilot Plant of the Institute of Energy System and Energy Technology. Finally, the consortium will evaluate this setup in terms of risks, economic efficiency, and environmental and social impacts.

  • We conduct research on non-recyclable waste streams as feedstock for base chemicals.

Linear economy is still the basis for modern economy in which non-recyclable products are produced from fossil fuels and their disposal releases large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. In the VERENA research project, the research consortium aims to make non-recyclable waste streams available as feedstock for the production of base chemicals. This process is better known as chemical recycling. The consortium is working on various gasification processes for the material and energetic utilization of diverse residual materials for the generation of synthesis gas and downstream conversion to chemicals like methanol. By that, the carbon cycle is closed. In addition to TU Darmstadt, 11 other partners from research and industry are participating in this project.

  • We explore how iron can be used as an energy carrier for a carbon-free circulatory economy.
  • Security of supply: How can we store large amounts of renewable?

The Clean Circles project led by Technical University of Darmstadt is pursuing the approach of converting thermal power plants that were previously operated with coal and are to be shut down in the future to operate with iron powder. Due to its outstanding physicochemical properties, iron offers the possibility of establishing an energy-substance cycle. When energy from renewable sources is stored, iron oxide is reduced; locally and temporally separated from this, the iron is oxidized, releasing energy to generate electricity without any CO2 emissions. This results in a carbon-neutral method of electricity generation that can be used to balance fluctuations in the feed-in of domestic wind and solar energy. A total of 5 research partners are involved.

  • We optimize and connect urban districts and thus contribute to the urban energy transition.

The Darmstadt Energy Laboratory for Technologies in Application (DELTA) represents a showcase for the urban energy transition through interacting energy-optimized districts. In the Living Lab DELTA, it is to be demonstrated that the technically proven potential for increasing energy efficiency and flexibility in urban districts can be implemented economically and is also accepted by society. To achieve this, methods are to be tested and further developed in order to bring successful technical pilot projects into broad application.

  • Duration: May 2021 to April 2026
  • Funding Amount: 40.1 million euros (funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action)
  • Contactat the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Thomas Kohne (Project coordination); (Project leader: Prof. Jens Schneider at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
  • Project website

Waste heat energy released into the atmosphere is one of the largest available sources of clean, fuel-free and cost-effective energy.

Although technologies for converting waste heat into electrical energy have been around for a long time, there is still no environmentally sound and efficient technology platform available for the utilisation of low-quality waste heat.

The TRANSLATE research project, funded by the EU under Horizon 2020, aims to develop a new nanofluidic platform technology based on the flow of ions in nanochannels to effectively convert this waste heat into electricity.

Tapping into this largely untapped energy source could help tackle some of the biggest economic and social challenges of our time, including climate change and the depletion of natural resources.

Videos on the energy research focus

Achieving carbon neutrality is one of the most important goals of our society. We are working on not simply having to incinerate waste materials, but to chemically recycle these waste materials in order to generate a product from them; in short, also to be referred to as Waste-to-Value. Find out more in the video!

The energy transition is one of the most pressing problems of our time. The aspect of a climate-neutral retrofit of existing infrastructure is increasingly coming into focus. The Clean Circles project aims to make existing thermal coal-fired power plants CO2-free by retrofitting them… Find out more in the video!

The Collaborative Research Centre TRR 150 investigates the interaction of chemical reactions with transport processes (turbulence and diffusion) in the presence of a wall. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the processes and to develop mathematical models based on this. These are then integrated into overall models in order to demonstrate this predictive capability using suitable systemic considerations… More in the video!

Many energy and process engineering processes involve mixtures of gases and liquids. In the plants, dynamic wetting and dewetting of the solid walls always takes place, which significantly influences the efficiency of the energy and material conversion processes. The aim of the CRC 1194 is to fundamentally understand the interactions between the wetting and dewetting processes and the heat and mass transfer and, on this basis, to specifically increase the efficiency of multiphase processes… More in the video!

Research Field of the TU Darmstadt